Running out of time
by AnimeAlexis
Summary: Sarah's time in the Labyrinth runs out before she finds Toby. How far will she go to save him? Oneshot.


**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Labyrinth. I do, however, have 2 copies of the movie, the soundtrack, and this story.

**Summary:** Sarah's time runs out. How far will she have to go to save Toby? One-shot.

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"Toby? Toby, where are you? Toby!" Sarah's cries rang through the Escher room as she searched for her baby brother. "TOBY!"

"You're too late, Sarah. Your baby brother belongs to me now." Sarah spun around to find herself face to face with Jareth.

"No." she whispered, taking a step back.

"Yes." He smirked. "If it's any consolation, once you're home, you won't remember him. You won't even know you had a baby brother."

"WHAT! NO! You can't make me forget Toby! I'm not leaving without him."

"You don't have a choice in the matter. Such a pity." Jareth smirked again and turned to walk away. Sarah's voice stopped him.

"Give me the child." He turned back to her.

"Sarah, don't you under- "

"Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the goblin city, to take back the child that you have stolen. I will not let my efforts be for naught."

"Do you really think that your scripted words will win you the day, Sarah? This game is over."

"This is NOT a game! This is my brother's _life,_ the fate of a 2-year-old!"

"And why should I let him go?" Sarah shook her head.

"He's only a small boy. He has his whole life ahead of him."

"Sarah, I'm the King of the Goblins. I am the Master of the Labyrinth. Why should I have any compassion for you? Besides, little Jareth is quite fun to have around."

"Little Jareth? His _name_ is Toby."

"Goodbye, Sarah." Jareth turned again, taking a step away from her.

"Take me instead."

Jareth stiffened, then sighed. He whirled around a fourth time.

"Why? Considering I could just keep you both around."

"And I could just find Toby and run. It's a big Labyrinth, Jareth, and I have friends in it." Sarah retaliated. "Let him go home. You could have the great fun of keeping me around to torment me. Think about it. You could tell all your little goblins how I beat the Labyrinth, but couldn't stand up to the mighty Goblin King. It would raise your standing, wouldn't it?" Sarah sneered.

Jareth strode over to her. He towered over her, and Sarah almost flinched. She stared resolutely up at him.

"You think I would enjoy _tormenting_ you? You, of all people, should know the story better than that, Sarah. _You_ called me. _You_ asked me to take him."

"And now _I'm_ asking you to take me instead. It's a fair trade, Your Majesty."

He sighed again. Bending over Sarah, he whispered in her ear.

She stiffened, and sensed he found it amusing.

"The deal is set." He whispered to her. As Jareth pulled back, Toby appeared in his arms.

"Say your goodbye, Sarah." He said, handing Toby to her.

She hugged the toddler tight, smelling his clean, talcum powder baby smell.

"Toby, when you get home, be good to Daddy and Karen. Grow up strong, and kind, and wise. And Toby," Here she lowered her voice. "Never forget me, Toby."

He looked at her solemnly before fading away. Jareth smiled to himself, but Sarah saw him.

"What?" He cleared his throat, and stopped smiling. "Ahem... Oh, it's nothing. But look, Sarah." A crystal appeared in his hand.

"Your dreams have changed. Oh, come now. There's nothing to be frightened of." This as she stepped back, away from the crystal.

"I'm not afraid." Denied Sarah, hardening her face and stepping forward.

She looked into the crystal, and saw her family. Toby was in his mother's arms, and was clapping his hands and laughing. Their father was laughing and making faces at Toby, and Karen was smiling at the two of them. It seemed so real to Sarah that when the picture faded and Jareth took the crystal away from in front of her, she was startled. She looked up at the Goblin King.

"Those are my dreams?"

"Your deepest desires." He confirmed, a fleeting look of… sadness? guilt? passing over his face.

"Will they remember me?"

"No. Your father and stepmother won't remember you." She nodded.

"That's good. I wouldn't want them to worry. Wait. My father and Karen? What about Toby?"

Jareth hesitated, and then decided on honesty.

"You told him to remember you. He will."

"How?"

"Do you never stop asking questions?" Without waiting for an answer, he continued. "Magic. That's how. Yours, and his. And the bond you share, as brother and sister."

"Magic? I have _magic_?" Sarah gasped. The King of the Goblins nodded.

"But… how? To be magical is something I've always dreamed, but I never thought… what is my magic? What can it do?"

Jareth smiled at the change of topic, and the change in Sarah's demeanour. Now she was satisfied about her parents, she moved on to the next topic. Which, conveniently for him, wasn't the fact that she was trapped in the Labyrinth. No, she was like an excited child, focused on what happened to be one of his areas of expertise. Magic.

"Your magic can do almost anything. You can only find out what you're particularly good at by practise." Sarah bit her lip, and then made up her mind.

"Will you teach me?" The Goblin King raised his eyebrows at the unexpected request.

"What? Whatever happened to 'you could have great fun tormenting me'?"

"Oh. I said that so you would let Toby go. To entice you. But…" Her eyes widened, and Jareth looked curiously at her.

"But what?"

"But…you didn't want Toby. You knew what I was going to do. You were waiting for it."

"Waiting for what?" he whispered. Sarah didn't answer, but began to hum, then to sing snatches of a song under her breath.

"**A love that will last, within your heart…every thrill is gone, wasn't too much fun at all. But I'll be there for you, as the world falls down…falling in love."**

"What are you singing?" he asked, still whispering. She looked at him, seeming to look straight through.

"What you sang…to me. You sang it to me when I was looking for…what I couldn't remember. When we were dancing. And – and you meant it."

"It was a song, Sarah."

"You meant it. You didn't want Toby, did you?" she repeated. "He would have been a bonus, but he wasn't the prize."

"And what was?" Jareth asked cuttingly, defences up. She was getting too close. "You?" He laughed cruelly, but Sarah ignored it.

"The book…the one that started it all. I could never figure out where it came from." Sarah mused, half to herself. She looked at Jareth, eyes hard.

"Tell me, Your Majesty. How long have you been planning this? The book, my wish, everything in my room, the crystal hallucinations. How long have you been planning exactly what is playing out now?"

"I could never have predicted what is happening now, and here. I never thought you'd get this far." He hissed. "I underestimated you. I shouldn't have, and that is the only reason you got this far."

"How long, Jareth?" Her calm voice stopped him before he was even started in his tirade. He laughed, but it was a bitter laugh, one of defeat.

"Toby wasn't the prize. He wasn't what I wanted." He confirmed slowly.

"What was?" Sarah asked, breathless.

"As if you don't know. How long have I been planning this, Sarah? Since you were born. When you were a child, it was different. I saw your magic. Knew it was too powerful, too different for Aboveground. That was the limit of my interest. I kept an eye on you. Hoped you would wish yourself away. You got close, several times. But then you grew up. And my interests changed. I sent you the book. Frankly, I didn't have much choice. It drew you to it. For you, it must have been like coming home. Because this is your home. This is your world, Sarah. It always has been. All I did was bring you back to it."

"And the song? When you were dancing with me?"

"I wrote it for you. Who else would I sing it to?"

"Why did you write it, Jareth?" He laughed again, this time incredulously.

"You don't know? Godsdamnit, Sarah, why do you think? I'm in love with you. Haven't you figured that out yet?"

Sarah looked at her feet for a moment, then moved her gaze to Jareth's eyes, and gasped silently. They were open doors, filled with raw emotion.

"I think I did know." She told him. "I think I always knew. It's in the book, isn't it? 'The King of the Goblins had fallen in love with the girl'. But I never fell in love with the King."

Jareth looked crushed, and Sarah mentally kicked herself. She hesitated, then reached out her hands slowly. She cupped his face between her palms, and made him look into her eyes.

"I didn't fall in love with the King. But I was always drawn to the Jareth of the book. To you." She laughed softly. "Funny, isn't it? Trust me to fall in love with the villain. I'm in love with you too. With Jareth, with the Goblin King, with my brother's kidnapper, with my enemy. But you're not my enemy anymore. Are you?"

Jareth covered her hands with his own, then moved them to around his neck. He placed his own hands around her waist, and moved his face towards hers.

"Not anymore." He agreed, and Sarah felt a delightful shiver as his breath touched her face. She pushed upwards, and met his lips with her own. The kiss was filled with fire and passion, and something sweeter. They both gasped for breath when they pulled away. Jareth pulled Sarah in closer to him, and she rested her face on his chest.

"Jareth?" she mumbled.

"Mmm?" He answered. She looked up at him again.

"Sing me the song again? Please?" He smiled at her.

"Anything." She placed her head on his chest again, and closed her eyes, letting the music wash over her as they swayed slowly.

"**There's such a sad love, deep in your eyes,**

**A kind of pale jewel, open and closed**

**Within your eyes, I'll place the sky**

**Within your eyes.**

**There's such a fooled heart, beating so fast,**

**In search of new dreams, a love that will last**

**Within your heart, I'll place the moon**

**Within your heart.**

**As the pain sweeps through, makes no sense for you,**

**Every thrill is gone, wasn't too much fun at all.**

**But I'll be there for you as the world falls down.**

**I'll paint you mornings of gold. I'll spin you Valentine's evenings.**

**Though we're strangers 'til now, we're choosing the path**

**Between the stars, I'll leave my love**

**Between the stars.**

**As the pain sweeps through, makes no sense for you,**

**Every thrill is gone, wasn't too much fun at all.**

**But I'll be there for you as the world falls down.**

**Falling.**

**As the world falls down**

**Falling.**

**Falling in love."

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**AnimeAlexis:** Ok, so it's soppy. I know. But it's good! I think. Please review! And be nice. Flames are thrown away, so don't bother sending them. Thanks!


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